It's Criminal
by Laur718
Summary: Peter Burke is in love with a criminal..you know the one. AU Neal/Peter.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, just a fan of the show! Not even the song that this story was inspired by…"Criminal" by Britney Spears.**

 _Agent Peter Burke did what he did every morning, he woke up to his alarm, kissed his wife good morning and jumped in the shower. El had gotten in late last night from a client meeting so he let her sleep in and ate breakfast by himself. After brushing his teeth and grabbing his jacket he was out the door to go pick up his favorite criminal consultant…well...not that he had a ton._

"Good Morning Peter!" June said after he had entered the house. "You know where to find him."

"Good Morning June, thank you," Peter said making his way to Neal's room.

 _He knocked on the door expecting Neal to answer it right away. When he didn't Peter went into FBI agent mode, he tried the knob and when it opened he walked inside._

"Neal?" Peter said looking around the room. "Come on Caffrey, this isn't time for games"

 _Peter noticed Neal's hat on the table, he started to get worried at this point._

"June!" Peter yelled for the woman.

"Yes, Peter," she appeared suddenly. "Is everything alright?"

"Neal is missing," Peter said in a panicked voice. "Did you hear anything last night?"

 _June told Peter about her night and that she remembered that Neal got home at his usual time and went right upstairs. She didn't remember him getting a visit from Mozzie or anyone and that he had actually been pretty quiet. Peter thanked the woman and he left him to his work, Peter looked around the room before calling Jones._

"Come on Neal, this isn't you…I know you," Peter said out loud.

 _Peter felt for his cell phone, that morning for whatever reason he had forgotten to turn it on. Turning it on at Neal's he noticed that there was a voicemail, his breathing went back to normal and he played it._

"Peter…it's me…I don't know is happening…there are guys in here and I'm…PETER! NO!"

 _The voicemail cut out after that…he couldn't hear anything else in the background. Peter left the room and June's home. Driving to the Bureau he was imagining the worst things. Sure Neal would be a good person to kidnap if one needed to forge art or bonds but who where these guys?_

 **The Bureau**

"Jones! Office! Now!" Peter said walking to his office.

"What's up Peter?" he asked following Peter to his office. "Where's Neal?"

 _Peter didn't answer his fellow agent's question, he went right into trying to see where Neal's tracking anklet was showing him. Peter didn't remember getting a call about him being off radius…he knew that he had to be close._

"Peter…" Jones said. "Where is Caffrey? You know…about this tall…wears a tracking anklet…always with you?"

"He's missing…" Peter said looking at him. "And I have to find him."

 _Jones could tell that Peter was definitely concerned for Neal's wellbeing. Peter slammed his hands on the desk; there was some sort of interference that was blocking the tracking signal. Peter instructed Jones to gather a team to search June's place for evidence, he would stay there and alert her on what was coming._

"Burke..." Peter answered his phone a little while later.

"Hi hon!" Elizabeth said on the other end.

"Oh, hi El," he said.

 _Elizabeth knew that something was wrong right away…and it probably had to do with Neal as it always did._

"Peter…what is wrong?" she asked him, concerned. "Do you need me to come there?"

"No, El...It's…Neal…of course right?" he said. "He's missing and I…don't know."

"Missing? How could he be missing?" she asked her husband. "You have an eye on him constantly."

 _Peter quickly filled in his wife what he knew about the kidnapping, which he was referring to it as of late. He didn't want to think the worst._

"Oh honey, I know this is hard for you," she said. "You will find him…I believe in you."

"Thanks honey, I will keep you updated," Peter said.

 _Peter hung up with Elizabeth and almost immediately his phone rang again…it was Jones. Jones was able to recover some evidence at the scene and piece together what possibly had happened to Neal. Peter instructed Jones to come back and fill him in, Peter paced the room nervously._

"Well...it seems that Caffrey was in the closet when he made that call to you. We found his phone in there. The doors on the veranda were picked, not very well but they were still able to get through" Jones said filling Peter in.

"DNA?" Peter asked.

"I was getting there," Jones said. "These guys were sloppy, touched a lot of things we were able to get a bunch of prints. I am having them ran right now."

"Thanks Jones…I appreciate all the work," Peter said.

 **A Few Hours Later**

 _Peter was in his office still trying to get a lock on Neal's location when Jones knocked on his door and entered._

"Prints came back," Jones said.

"Ok...give me the news," Peter said.

"Nick and Matt DeSanmarco," Jones said. "Prison inmates that were in with Caffrey, they weren't exactly friends of his."

"Not surprised," Peter said. "So what is the story on them?"

"Released…on a technicality" Jonas answered.

"Damn legal system," Peter said before thinking what he was saying.

 _Jonas laughed slightly at Peter's remark and handed him the files that he found about the brothers. Peter made a call to Mozzie to see if he had heard from Neal, he hadn't but that didn't stop him from suggesting his own conspiracy theories._

"Mozzie, I swear if you say aliens…" Peter said.

"You underestimate me Suit," Mozzie said. "I wasn't going to say aliens; I was going to tell you that I have information about the brothers."

"So, it's not aliens?" Peter asked.

"Well…I'm not ruling it out Suit, just saying," Mozzie responded.

 _Mozzie told Peter a sorted tale of the brothers, sure they were in the same jail as Neal but it was more than that. They were good at forgeries but not as good as Neal. They got caught, a lot, but this last time was for the biggest heist in their record. They were caught forging the "Mona Lisa" painting and trying to sell in to a gallery downtown. For course they were caught and thrown in jail…and clearly they had someone on the inside working for them which is how they got out._

"Why do they want Neal?" Peter asked.

"Come on Suit, do I have to spell it out for you?" Mozzie said. "The Mona Lisa" the big one! The job they didn't finish…that's why they need Neal."

"Thanks Mozzie," Peter said as he hung up the phone.

 **Neal's Captivity**

 _In an abandoned school building Neal sat, handcuffed to a rickety desk that was in the room. The brothers entered the room at different times with different supplies._

"Are we painting?" Neal asked.

"Shut up Caffrey, I could put a bullet in you right now…But we need you," Nick said pointing a gun at him.

"I know you do Nick…that's why I'm alive still…" Neal said. "What do you want?"

 **The FBI**

 _Peter filled Jones in on what Mozzie had told him…he then had Jones look for any information he could find about places in Neal's radius where they could be._

"Peter…I found an old school building," Jones said. "We could send a team down there."

"That might spook them; we don't need to send Diana undercover." Peter said thinking of his options.

"What are we going to do Jones?" Peter asked him. "I can't just go in there guns blazing, even if it is Neal."

 _Peter at this point would use a battering ram if one was available to him at such quick notice, but since one was not he had to go with another choice._

"Damn it Caffrey," Peter said it himself.

 _Peter and the White Collar crew burst through the doors of the school, sans battering ram but they were still able make an impact._

"FBI! Get on the ground...NOW" Peter said handcuffing Nick.

 _Jones quickly followed handcuffing Matt while Peter moved his attention over to Neal. Neal looked beat up but alive, and that's all that Peter cared about._

"Hi Peter," Neal said. "I knew you'd be here."

 _Peter sliced the ropes from Neal's hands and helped him stand up, as quick as he stood he fell into Peter's arms._

"Neal?" Peter said. "Neal?"

 _Jones left the brothers with his fellow agents to assist Peter. Peter was holding onto one side of Neal and Jones helping him on the other side. They managed to get him comfortably into a car that was outside. After placing him in the backseat, Neal instantly fell asleep using the car window as a pillow._

"Go ahead Peter," Jones said. "I got it."

"Thanks Jones," Peter said getting to the driver's side. "Fill me in later."

"Will do," Jones said closing the door.

 _Peter carefully drove home, checking on Neal from the rearview mirror whenever he could. Reaching the house, he left Neal in the car and ran to get help from Elizabeth who had just gotten home. They managed to get him inside the house; Neal was able to clean himself up with help from Peter. Not saying anything, he slipped into comfortable clothes that Elizabeth had given him and he retreated to the living room. Peter and Elizabeth watched Neal for a moment, he was comfortable and sleeping soundly moments later on their couch._

"You love him? Don't you" Elizabeth asked her husband.

 **Thanks for reading! Hoping to continue!**


End file.
